Central Iowa Times

Franklin County saw a 7 percent decrease in the number of residents who participated in Iowa's Food Assistance Program from 2020 to 2021, according to a Franklin Guide analysis of data from the state's Department of Human Services.

In 2021, 786 recipients (367 households) in Franklin County participated in the Program compared to 845 recipients (383 households) in 2020.

Overall, $1,496,870 in food assistance payments were allocated to Franklin County recipients in 2021.

In 2020, $1,092,164 was allocated for Franklin County program participants.

Qualified recipients in the Program are eligible to receive financial assistance in the form of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which then can be used to buy groceries. The Program is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's larger Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Number of Food Assistance Program Participants in Franklin County 2012-2021

Year	Number of recipients
2012	1,179
2013	1,201
2014	1,171
2015	1,105
2016	1,096
2017	1,072
2018	940
2019	845
2020	786
2021	760